


Familiar

by croytswrath



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-18
Updated: 2012-07-18
Packaged: 2017-11-10 05:23:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/462648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/croytswrath/pseuds/croytswrath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They’ve been there and they’ve danced this dance, and quite frankly, Stefan is getting tired of this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Familiar

**Author's Note:**

> Set between season 2 and season 3.

“You’re irritated with me,” Klaus states as casually as someone would say ‘the sun is shining today’. 

“You’re a psychopath,” Stefan replies, attempting the same casual tone. He almost comes close this time, after failing miserably again and again, day after day. 

It doesn’t bother Klaus either way. He smiles a cheerful smile, clapping a hand on his shoulder as he passes him. “You really do know how to compliment me after all, Stefan.”

Of course, that doesn’t help Stefan’s irritated state at all. Not when all he wants to do is slam Klaus against the nearest wall and-- his train of thought is interrupted by a dull pressure right between his shoulder blades, and it takes a second to realize that it’s Klaus pressing his palm just below his neck.

“Why are you irritated with me?” he asks, and if he didn’t know better, Stefan would think he could detect a little pout in his voice. He sighs, drawing it out, but it becomes more of a deep breath, the weight between his shoulders strangely reassuring.

Stefan doesn’t have time to declare himself insane for feeling reassured by a psychopath’s hand on him; Klaus wants an answer and he wants it now, if the pressure increasing is anything to go by. 

And because he doesn’t fancy a broken spine - and really, who would? - he turns around to look at Klaus. Stares him right in the eyes for a moment, contemplating his answer. He could just call him a psychopath again, recite all the bad things Klaus has done to him, his family, his friends. But they’ve been there. They’ve been there and they’ve danced this dance, and quite frankly, Stefan is getting tired of this. Tired of the same old arguments, tired of Klaus laughing it off, tired of Klaus trying to justify himself - although that only happens in his lowest, drunkest moments.

“Why do you care?” he finally asks, a question that had only occurred to him just now. Because this, whatever this is supposed to be, confirms it. Klaus cares. Klaus cares about more than just himself, his future army of hybrids. Klaus cares about him, and most importantly, Klaus cares about Stefan's opinion of him.

He almost expects Klaus to laugh this off as well, or maybe jump his throat. Stefan can’t really tell, which is probably another class A sign of psychopathic tendencies. 

Instead, Klaus just looks at him, and he seems almost vulnerable. Open.

His gaze is so intense, so honest, that Stefan has to look away because of the weight of it all. 

When he looks up again, Klaus is gone.


End file.
